 Seeing none, it's now time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Thank you for taking the PC Caucus' advice and cancelling any future green energy. Again, Mr. Speaker, let's be clear. Just like the rebate announcement, today's announcement is just too little, too late. The government has plowed ahead for years, signing contracts for energy we simply do not need. The Premier has become the best Minister of Economic Development that Pennsylvania and New York has ever seen, giving away our hydro at pennies on the dollar. Mr. Speaker, the Premier was wrong on green energy. She was wrong on OLG. Will she complete the hat-trick today and acknowledge the government was wrong on the fire sale of Hydro-1? Can you say that, please? Can you say that, please? Premier? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And let me just go through the process here, Mr. Speaker, as this House well knows, we inherited an electricity system that had been badly neglected under the previous government, Mr. Speaker. There were brownouts and blackouts and smog days, Mr. Speaker, that put our economy and our people at risk. We took that dirty, unreliable system, Mr. Speaker, that electricity system, and we've made it clean and reliable. We've invested in it, and it's now one that all of us can count on, Mr. Speaker. We eliminated coal, the source of those smog days. They've saved $4 billion in health and related costs, Mr. Speaker, $4 billion because of this clean grid. As confirmed recently by the independent electricity system operator, so the IESO has come and said, Mr. Speaker, that our investments have secured a strong, steady supply of clean power. And that, Mr. Speaker, is because of the investments that we have made, because of the disengines that we've taken from you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary, the member from Renfrew and Episcopal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So back to the premier. So now, with your back to the wall and on the road to Damascus, you've decided not to proceed with energy contracts that wouldn't happen till well into the future. But what you've admitted to the people of Ontario and what we've been saying for years is that you paid way too much for energy contracts all the way along. The people have been hurt by your contracting for that unneeded energy. The auditor has said $37 billion too much that your energy contracts are the primary reason that energy costs in this province are too high. So will you commit to no further contracts signed under this government for energy we don't need? And will you, to once again stand up for the right thing to do and stop any further sale of the shares of hydro wire? A reminder during the debate, you put your question and answer through the chair. Only the chair. In the event that it continues, I'll stop and consider passing the question. Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the honourable member for the question. I'm very pleased to be able to rise today and talk about our suspension of the LRP2 program, Mr. Speaker. We're suspending the 1000 megawatts to make sure that we can find ways to continue to reduce rates for electricity consumers right across the province. And though the recently announced LRP contracts, I know the minister- I'm quite prepared to move to what I did the last two days and Thursday and Monday. We'll do it again if we need to. That'll be my last discussion about heckling. Carry on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In terms of price, the member talked about price. The price contracted for solar power represents the lowest cost for solar projects that have been contracted in Canada to date, Mr. Speaker. We have some of the lowest prices right across the country. And in terms of a plan from this party, Mr. Speaker, they have no plan. They have no plan when it comes to energy. Out of that office, they don't even know if he's signing letters, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. The member from Prince Edward, East. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. Perhaps this change of heart has more to do with dollars for the liberal coffers than it does anything else. We have this gift from Adrian Morrow of the Globe and Mail this morning. An email sent from Chris Benedetti, one of the biggest green energy lobbyists in the province to some of his clients promoting a private fundraiser with, you guessed it, the Minister of Energy. The Premier told this House that all private fundraising events would be posted on the liberal website. But when we searched the website this morning, there were no events listed for October 5th at the Peter Pan bistro. Speaker, given the minister's announcement this morning, affected no renewable contracts currently signed, I have to ask, will companies that have signed contracts be at this little get-together on October 5th? And what is the Premier going to do about ministers violating her phony rules about fundraising from stakeholders and keeping those meetings secret from the public? We will now move to warnings. And I'm not impressed with that kind of comment. Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'd like to thank the member for the advertisement for my fundraiser that's coming up that everyone knows about. But let's talk about fundraising, Mr. Speaker. The MPP for your Leeds Grenville on May 24th, 2016 held a private fundraiser in Yorkville marketing himself as the PC Deputy Leader of a Tourism, Culture and Sport Critic. He also advertised Senator Bob Runciman. And the chief opposition would be on hand. Costs $1,300 for Platinum supporters. The MPP for Lampton-Kent Middleson is currently advertising. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Finish, Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. MPP for Huron-Bruce held a private fundraiser at Rogers Center, $600. Mr. Speaker, you know what? On this side of the house, we're going to worry about making sure that we find ways to lower rate for consumers with the single largest electricity reduction mill in this province's history. They don't have a plan. The member from Leeds Grenville. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. My question to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, the government claims outrageous hydro bills are the price for a reliable electricity system. Try telling that to Brad Borla, franchisee at Canadian Tire in Gananakwe. In 2013, Brad spent $69,000 on hydro and had zero power outages. This year, he'll pay $120,000, a 42% increase. So what does he get for that 42% increase, Speaker? Because there's been no investments in the hydro one feed to Gananakwe, he got seven blackouts. These outages cost him $50,000 in lost revenue and damages. And that's just one business. The cost to the community was in the millions. So, Speaker, my question is, if the $10,000 a month Brad pays for hydro isn't enough to keep the lights on, will the Premier tell me how much it will cost? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the members of this House... Member from Renfrew Nipissing, Pembroke is warned. And if I know who that was, they would be warned. Finish, please. So, Mr. Speaker, as the members of this House well know, the previous government left our electricity system in a state of disrepair. Our government spent more than a decade making it clean and reliable for Ontarians. We've already invested more than $15 billion in upgrading more than 15,000 kilometers of transmission into... Member from Leeds, Grenville is warned. Finish. Yet in recent days, Mr. Speaker, the opposition has begun to make some truly bizarre claims about our system's reliability, pointing to planned outages or weather-related outages as evidence, Mr. Speaker. Perhaps when the leader of the opposition talks about outages... Supplementary. Member from Huronvers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. A small business owner in my riding recently wrote to me about how she and her husband invested half a million dollars in energy retrofits to reopen a grocery store because I'm sure you would agree every community deserves one. Well, Mr. Speaker, their bills started at $3,500 a month. But in two short years, they have jumped to a staggering $6,000. The Energy Minister's announcement today does absolutely nothing to reduce the electricity bills that people already can't afford. It's just a desperate ploy. So, Speaker, what is the Premier going to do to make life more affordable for people of Ontario today? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our proposed legislation that we have before the House will actually make life more affordable for Ontarians. A 20% reduction for families in rural and remote and northern communities like in my part of the province, Mr. Speaker, will actually have a significant savings for many families, Mr. Speaker. We are also seeing the elimination of the DRC. Mr. Speaker, we are doing many things to help families. Even the OESP program is there to help low and medium-sized income families. They can actually apply for this program and see an additional $75 a month, Mr. Speaker, that come off their bill. When you compile all the stuff that we've done in the last few months, Mr. Speaker, this is the single largest reduction that we have done for families when it comes to electricity bills in Ontario's province and Ontario's history, Mr. Speaker. I'm very proud of what we've done, and unfortunately they voted against it when we asked for unanimous attempts to get this through the House. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Premier, your new talking points about reliability come from polling and have nothing to do with reality. The blackout tracker found the number of outages increased by 275% just from 2012 to 2015. Lake Talon residents in my writing experienced a 25-day power outage this spring. On their hydro bills, though, they were forced to pay the delivery charge for power they never received. Speaker, a month without the most basic necessities in rural Ontario, without power, you can't pump water or flush a toilet. And what did Hydro One tell them regarding the loss of all the meat they harvested in their fall hunt? You shouldn't be soaring meat in your freezer. Speaker, I asked what does the Premier have to say about reliability to the people in Lake Talon? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So just last week, a dump truck hit a line near Windsor that caused a brief outage. Trees blow down by windstorms in Muskoka one of the days on August. Caused some homes to lose power for the day. So if the opposition has suggestions on how to prevent car accidents or weather, we're all ears, Mr. Speaker. But in the meantime, we on this side of the House know what real outages are. We remember 2003, the broad-scale rolling blackouts which characterized the opposition's management of our electricity system, Mr. Speaker. Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, these weren't small outages. These were blackouts that were put forward by a government that didn't invest in electricity system, didn't invest in generation to transmission. We have done that. We've cleaned up their mess and will continue to do that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question, the third part. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Liberal insiders are telling the media that the Premier is in favour of helping to sell off Toronto Hydro. Is that true? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the leader of the third party will have to speak to the Mayor of Toronto and councillors if she wants to talk about Toronto Hydro. Thank you. The Liberals are selling off Hydro 1, and that means higher Hydro bills. Now they're helping to sell off municipal Hydro utilities like Toronto Hydro. We know from the FAO's release, the Financial Accountabilities Officer's release, that increasing bills are going to hit low-income Ontarians and Northern and rural people the hardest. People can't afford the sell-off of Hydro 1, and they can't afford the sell-off of their local distribution company either. Are the Liberal insiders telling the truth that the Premier thinks it's a good idea to privatise Hydro and that she is, quote, interested in helping make it happen? Thank you. The Minister of Infrastructure is Warren. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The initiative, this government to invest in transit and transportation infrastructure across this province, Mr. Speaker, is very important to the people of the province. It's important to communities across the province. And when we ran in 2014, Mr. Speaker, we said that we were going to look at the assets of the government, Mr. Speaker, and we were going to work to leverage those assets so that we could invest in new infrastructure that would be owned by the people of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, there are infrastructure projects going on across this province. Roads, bridges, transit, hospitals, schools, Mr. Speaker. There's building happening because we are making those investments. We cannot sit back and let infrastructure deteriorate, Mr. Speaker. We have to make sure that we make those investments. And the fact that Ontario is one of the leading jurisdictions for economic growth in the country, Mr. Speaker, has to do with those very investments. Thank you very much. Well, Speaker, Liberal insiders say that the Premier thinks helping to sell off Toronto Hydro would, quote, deflect some public anger away from the Liberals and their decision to sell off Hydro One. People are struggling to pay their Hydro Bills and every increase will disproportionately hit low income and rural and northern families. But instead of making the government priority affordable electricity, the Liberals' priority is to deflect public anger from themselves. Why does this Premier continue to make decisions to behave, to act in the best interests of the Liberals instead of the best interests of the people of this province? Thank you. Can you see it, please? Can you see it, please? Thank you. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm solely in politics to work, to benefit the people of this province, to make sure that we have a reliable electricity system, Mr. Speaker, and that we move to make sure that it is as affordable as possible. That's what the initiative in the Throne Speech was about, Mr. Speaker. It was about making sure that we take that provincial portion of the HST off electricity bills across the province, that we help further people in rural and remote communities to the tune of 20% reduction, Mr. Speaker, and that we work with small businesses, Mr. Speaker, and medium-sized businesses to make sure that they have a break as well, Mr. Speaker. That is about helping people in their lives every single day. Thank you. New question. I can say that it really doesn't show if that's the Premier's goal. But look, this question is actually to the Premier as well. People see that the Premier is making decisions that are about privatisation, and those decisions are more based on the political interests of her party than what's best for people. That is totally obvious. They're based on, and I quote, deflecting anger. They're based on political cover. That's not what the people voted for, Speaker. That's not what the people asked for when they voted in the last election. People had hoped for so much better, and they are so disappointed in what they're getting from this government. So my question is one that's pretty straight up. Will this Premier come clean and let us know whether or not she is going to continue to facilitate the privatisation of more of Ontario's hydro system? Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. You know, the decisions that we make as government are often very challenging, very complex, Mr. Speaker. And I said as a pillar of our plan that we would invest in infrastructure in this province, Mr. Speaker. So we made a difficult decision. It actually is kind of laughable that the leader of the third party suggested somehow the decision around Hydro One was in our political interest, Mr. Speaker. It was a challenging decision. It was a practical decision. It was not an ideological decision, but it was a decision that will lead to and is already meaning that we can invest in people's lives by providing them with the transit and the transportation options that they need so they can get home to their kids, so that they can pick up their kids from childcare, so that they can have time with their families, Mr. Speaker, that otherwise they would not be able to have. Thank you. You say it, please. You say it, please. Start the problem. Supplementary. Well, Speaker, what it was was the wrong decision. That's the decision. They're worried about their future people, Speaker, and they're worried about whether their kids are going to be able to build a good life here in this province. But instead of making decisions that make life easier for people, the government is making it harder for people, especially low-income people, who feel that burden the hardest when it comes to their increasing hydro rates and for rural and northern Ontario families who are paying the very highest bills, Speaker. And the Premier's only concern is to, quote, deflect some public anger away from liberals, end quote. Now, people expected, and I have to say, Speaker, people deserved so much better than this. Will this Premier commit to stopping any further privatisation, whether it's local utility corporations or whether it's Hydro-1? Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, the decisions that are made at the local level around utilities, Mr. Speaker, and the decision that is on the table in the City of Toronto, the Leader of the Third Party will have to speak with the people at Council and the Mayor at the City of Toronto, Mr. Speaker. If the Leader of the Third Party is asking whether we will stop investing in transit, Mr. Speaker, whether we will stop investing in transportation infrastructure across the province, Mr. Speaker, no, we will not. Those investments are needed. They're needed in order to create jobs right now, and that's what's happening. There are thousands of people working across the province, Mr. Speaker, because of those investments, and those investments are necessary into the future, because if we are going to compete globally, Mr. Speaker, we must have that modernised infrastructure in place that will draw business and allow businesses here to expand, Mr. Speaker. No, we're not going to stop investing. I will stop investing. Mr. Speaker, the Premier is not being clear. She knows very well that she has a role to play in facilitating the sell-off of local distribution companies. She knows that she has a role there, and for her to suggest she does not is not being upfront with the people of this province. People, Mr. Speaker, were surprised when the Premier announced that she was selling off Hydro One because it's not what they voted for. They didn't vote to sell off local distribution companies either, Mr. Speaker. So whether it's Toronto Hydro or whether it's any other local distribution company, people did not vote for privatisation. They can't afford to pay more just to give the Premier political cover and deflect anger away from her Liberal government. So will the Premier stop all of the Hydro sell-offs in the province of Ontario? Mr. Speaker, thank you. You seated, please. You seated, please. Thank you. The Minister of... I was going to issue a warning, but maybe because of the response I'm not going to. But I decided I'm going to issue the warning. The Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation is warned. New question. A member from Perry's Almas Court. To the Premier, Hydro prices in Ontario are at a crisis level. Recently, Ian Cohewn, the owner of Axiom Audio, was saying what is going on with Ontario electricity prices? Axiom Audio is a manufacturer of world-class speakers and audio equipment. The business is located in Dwight and employs 20 people in the town of 200 east of Hunts... Axiom competes for business worldwide. Ian sent me his Hydro bill and in June, his cost for electricity was $973. But the delivery charge amounted to $127. The total cost of electricity for the month amounted to over $0.39 per kilowatt hour. And remember, this is June. Speaker, how can the Premier expect a rural manufacturer, manufacturing business to continue to operate in the province of Ontario with Hydro rates that are so high and getting higher? Stop the clock. I made a omission and I apologize to the House. I will follow the two questions and two answers and come back to the Premier to answer the question that was put by the leader of the third party should the Premier... Minister of Energy. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the Honourable Member for the question. I hope the Member told him about our plan with the ICI program that can save him up to 34% of his bill directly on the delivery charge because right now it's important for us to ensure that businesses are aware of the savings that they can make because our industrial electricity rates in Ontario are extremely competitive with other Canadian and American jurisdictions with the prices in Northern Ontario in particular among the five most affordable jurisdictions in North America. He can make savings of up to 34% I do hope that Honourable Member will ensure that he lets those companies know Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. What's up Mr. Speaker? Member from Holmen, Holmen North. Both of you are back to the Premier I have a fellow in my riding Walter Mueller Jr. He's installed energy efficient appliances lighting, new heating, air conditioning He has an on-demand water heater He's never home during on-peak hours He does everything right yet he gets a monthly electricity bill of over $400 when people want to know why is that? This gets worse. Mr. Mueller's family business Springer Meats pays 40 grand a month for electricity Last year it was $30,000 a year No increase in sales but a 30% increase in expenses Will the Premier please explain to this House how can people stay in business let alone establish new businesses 30% annual hydrohikes Thank you Mr. Speaker and I do thank the Honourable Member for that question. When it's coming to the individual's home there's an 8% saving coming to all families right across the province But what makes this even more spectacular in a significant savings for family are those families in the rural and remote areas of our community they can save 20% Mr. Speaker with that money going directly on the delivery charge when it comes to the business component of the question that the Honourable Member asked if this individual qualifies for the ICI program they can save up to 34% on their bills if not he's a small business he will also be receiving that 8% reduction plus some of the other programs that we have out there Mr. Speaker we're doing it for the families because we recognize that some families are having a difficult time but you know what Mr. Speaker we had to make sure that we built a safe reliable and clean system after they left the system in tatters Mr. Speaker Thank you Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and the lead of the third party was asking whether I would intervene in decision making at a local level in a unilateral way Mr. Speaker and I just want to comment that one of the reasons that we got involved in politics and I know actually there are a number of members who were municipal elected officials Mr. Speaker mayors who had lived through the experience of having a provincial government that imposed decision making on local government Mr. Speaker that amalgamated that didn't work with municipalities and Mr. Speaker I have a very different modus operandi and you know the member's office talk about green energy Mr. Speaker one of the first things I did was work with our minister of energy to make sure that we change the process around the sighting of wind turbines so Mr. Speaker I believe in working with local governments Mr. Speaker rather than acting unilaterally the question Thank you Mr. Speaker my question to the premier today Ontario's financial accountability officer reported that people living in rural and northern Ontario see more of each paycheck going to paying their energy bills low income people spend three and a half times more of their income on energy bills than the wealthiest Ontarians selling hydro one is only going to push those rates higher opening up local hydro utilities to privatization is only going to push up those rates higher for a lot of people living in rural and northern Ontario or people living on a low income they already feel like they're at a breaking point and if bills go higher their kids won't be able to afford a better life will the premier commit to no more sell-offs of the hydro assistance Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the Honourable Member for this question of course I hope he's referring all of the rural customers to the 20% reduction that we brought forward in our bill let's not forget about all the other programs that we have in place Mr. Speaker we might sure that we got rid of the debt retirement charge Mr. Speaker that's no longer on the bills for our consumers and let's make sure that we have six programs the OESP program is one that I would encourage the Honourable Member to encourage individuals to contact their local utility but when it comes to the financial accountability officer Mr. Speaker the FAO report this August confirmed the average family in Ontario spends less on electricity than every other province except British Columbia and when it comes to total home energy cost Ontario is in the middle of the two of you one of you has got a warning and the next one's out finish please so what's remarkable about these findings is that Ontario has already done the heavy lifting and modernizing our energy infrastructure and transitioning off a cold generation Mr. Speaker we continue to find ways to reduce costs for consumers thank you I can only think Speaker the other side didn't hear the question so I'll rephrase it over and over people say they want the next generation to be able to build a better life but for too many people they feel like their bills are making that almost impossible to quote the FAO household home energy spending is a greater burden for lower income households rural and northern families feel every increase taking the HST off hydro is a first step but it can't be the only step to getting bills under control stopping the sell-off has to be the next step will the Premier commit to ending the sell-off of the hydro system thank you Mr. Speaker we continue to find ways to reduce energy costs for consumers right across the province and today's announcement of suspending and cancelling the LRP2 program we'll save families additional 245 off their bill but in terms of broadening ownership of hydro one we've done that to ensure we can continue to do what Ontario families want to create growth and to create jobs and I was in the great riding of North Bay and Cappets Gasing to make announcements of infrastructure that's going into these communities and that's thanks Mr. Speaker in terms of broadening hydro one we will continue to do what's best for families on this side of the house while they just shake their fist Mr. Speaker thank you very much well thank you Speaker my question is for the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services now intermittent sentences have existed in Ontario since 1972 and these are sentences that convicted persons serve typically in periodic intervals typically on weekends intermittent inmates can contribute to overcrowding in our correctional centres beginning on a Friday night when they enter the system for the weekend sentences so Ontario's first dedicated facility for such inmates opened in Toronto at the Toronto Intermittent Centre in 2011 as part of the Toronto South Detention Centre the Minister was in London recently for the opening of Ontario's second dedicated facility for offenders intermittent sentences and so through you Speaker can the Minister please tell us more about this new facility and what it will mean for Ontario and in particular for the Elgin Middlesex London area thank you very much Speaker I want to thank the member from Beaches East York for the question I was certainly pleased to speak recently at the opening of our new 112 bed regional intermittent centre on the grounds of the Elgin it is indeed the second intermittent centre built in Ontario and part of our regional intermittent strategy across the province the goal is to ease pressures in relation to capacity when inmates enter facilities by building standalone intermittent centres on the site of existing facilities however it also has a number of other benefits including increased security by reducing the potential for contraband and weapons to be brought into the main facilities for offenders the $9.3 million investment by our government was built with an innovative design to lower costs and will help significantly to reduce overcrowding at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre it was a key part of our government's transformation strategy for corrections and we I'll have more to say than some. Thank you Thank you Speaker and thank you to the Minister for his description of this new facility just another example how we're using assets to build and I'm pleased to hear about the numerous benefits of this new intermittent centre and the impact it will have on the London and surrounding areas I'm also quite pleased that the reception the facility has received I understand for instance that Opsu has expressed deep satisfaction with the opening of the new facility saying it will go a long way to improving conditions at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre Opsu President Smoky Thomas noted and I quote with the new RIC the province just got a little bit safer the chairman of the local community advisory board also commended the new facility saying that the RIC will make Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre a much safer place but these improvements at the Elgin Middlesex Centre aren't limited to this new facility can the minister explain talk about the other improvements that have been made to the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre Thank you Minister I'm happy to speak about the other improvements again to the member from beaches east York I'm pleased with the reception that Opsu and others have responded with and we've hired Speaker 60 additional correctional officers since 2013 at this particular centre with 12 more set to graduate from our correctional officer training assessment program who will be scheduled to work at this location by the end of the month the EMDC also now has a mental health nurse and 7 full-time nurses on site with 24-hour nursing coverage we've added approximately 350 new security cameras 6 additional metal detectors and a full x-ray body scanner will be present in 2017 Speaker I'm pleased with the progress we're making in corrections I want to thank the former minister Minister Nakfi, Superintendent Dave Wilson and all of the frontline officers at the district of Osama Thank you very much Mr. Speaker My question is to the Premier My constituent Nicola Hart lives on a fixed income so she doesn't heat her home with electricity she burns wood to save money yet after Nicola pays for the roof over her head and her electricity bill she comes up short every month this is the nightmare facing many rape payers in Bruce Gray owned sound where 60 families have been disconnected because they couldn't pay their rising hydro bills Nicola Hart fears she could be next this government broke its promise to protect consumers it broke its promise to provide lower rates and it broke its promise of a reliable supply of new electricity given all of these broken promises given all of the ongoing bugly tell me why anyone should trust this Premier to fix the hydro rates that her party created Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the Honourable Member for that question he highlights one individual case that is difficult for that family and that individual and I know when I was meeting with the Executive Director of Bruce County we specifically spoke about that case and there are some anomalies in there Mr. Speaker but you know in terms of disconnections our government is committed to ensure that we're going to keep that clean and affordable system or clean and reliable system and make it as affordable as possible so that's why we brought forward many of those programs Mr. Speaker that are facing disconnection if they contact the LEAP program through their local utility they can get a $600 instant rebate on that Mr. Speaker that may have helped that family before it got into such a crisis Mr. Speaker and then of course Mr. Speaker we're ensuring that we have that 20% reduction specifically for northern and rural families Mr. Speaker because we recognize that some families have difficulty Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker back to the Premier Speaker if the cost of hydro suddenly matters to her it's fair to ask what changed it's no wonder hydro cost so much they spent billions of dollars putting up unwanted wind turbines to produce power the province did not need and they ran roughshod over rural Ontario but who finally got this government to pay attention to hydro rates Scarborough so I asked Premier will the Liberals start listening to my constituents or do they have to take up residence in Scarborough Thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the Honourable Member for the question I think we need to thank the Honourable Minister of Infrastructure for his past work on this file Mr. Speaker because he recognized that we could make savings by not building two new nuclear units Mr. Speaker to the rate payers we actually saved 3.7 billion Mr. Speaker by not by renegotiating our Samsung agreement and the 2013 long-term energy plan Mr. Speaker when we did a price renewal on our renewables Mr. Speaker we saved an initial 4.0 billion Mr. Speaker and that was all by his leadership and Mr. Speaker I'm very happy to come forward today and bring forward a plan where we are going to actually suspend the long-term the LRP2 Mr. Speaker that will save an additional 3.8 billion dollars and that will save more money for families right across this province Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier today I will be reintroducing my private members bill to provide paid leave for workers who have experienced domestic violence and sexual violence a bill that received unanimous support when it was debated in the last session Mr. Speaker it's traumatic enough for someone who has been sexually assaulted or abused by their intimate partner survivors should not also have to worry about losing their jobs because of the violence they experienced The Premier can commit today to helping people maintain employment and making life a little easier by including paid leave for domestic violence and sexual violence and the government's employment standards act changes will she do that I think we can all agree domestic violence is a very serious problem it crosses every social boundary and it will not be tolerated in Ontario and as the Minister responsible for women's issues it's a priority for me that women feel safe in their homes, in their workplaces and in their communities we want to provide additional details from a labour point of view in the supplementary but let me just say this speaker that in 2015-16 we've invested over 4.6 million in programs and services to help victims of domestic violence and since releasing our domestic violence action plan in 2014 the women's director it has implemented many initiatives to raise awareness of domestic violence and strengthen support for victims we've taken strong action in our sexual violence action plan I know the minister labelled it supplementary recently we learned that the federal liberals are looking at the provisions of my bill to allow workplace accommodations for federal workers we know from the murders of Lori Dupont and Teresa Vince that violence often follows victims to the workplace the ability to change hours of employment or transfer to a new location can literally mean life or death will the premier follow the lead of her federal cousins and implement workplace accommodations for Ontario workers who have experienced domestic violence or sexual violence thank you speaker and thank you to the member for that very important question and thank you for bringing forward this private members bill we clearly understand I think both caucuses the importance of this issue we know the impact it has on individuals on family on children let me tell you speak in the province of Ontario our occupational health and safety act is the only legislation of its kind in the entire country that requires employers in this province to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to protect a worker from domestic violence in the workplace and at home speaker speaker this is an issue that's being bought to the attention the changing workplaces review we're at the interim report stage it's clearly discussed in that report speaker so thank you for bringing attention to it I look forward to working with the entire house to resolving this issue in the right way speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister responsible for seniors affairs Ontarians are living longer and healthier lives and many of Ontario seniors want to continue being active and engaged in their communities we see through the many community groups that are active in Etobicoke Lakeshore and in riding throughout the province of Ontario these groups are integral parts of our communities and work to provide seniors with the space to share and learn and opportunities to enjoy new and exciting experiences Mr. Speaker when the seniors community grant was developed in 2014 it opened doors for many of these groups to expand their programs and offer unique experiences to Ontario seniors it's been a successful program and Mr. Speaker can the minister of seniors affairs inform the house about the current status of the seniors community grant thank you minister responsible for seniors affairs thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to begin by thanking the member from Etobicoke Lakeshore for his question about seniors community grants and as the minister responsible for seniors I also want to take a minute to welcome all of the seniors to the gallery today these grants which have been in place since 2014 have provided Ontario seniors access to 700 different types of programs the programs range from education arts culture and healthy living and focus on making sure seniors feel included and encouraging volunteerism to get an idea Mr. Speaker of the reach of this program consider these numbers since 2014 these grants have touched the lives of a quarter million Ontario seniors and this year we expect the grants to touch the lives of another 142 thousand seniors Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the minister for her answer and as we're building Ontario up and investing in our people that's not just youth and students it also includes our seniors and seeing nearly 700 projects across the province receiving these grants is an amazing accomplishments these projects are strengthening communities throughout Ontario and by supporting these local grassroots organizations and giving them flexibility in the programming the grant allows these organizations to develop projects that best fit the unique needs in their communities however Mr. Speaker I wonder whether this grant benefits indigenous and multicultural seniors outside of urban centers in the same way so this grant is an excellent way of providing seniors with opportunities and I want to ask Mr. Speaker the minister of seniors affairs whether she can inform how the seniors community grants are helping multicultural, indigenous and rural seniors Mr. Speaker that's a very important question and I'm delighted to answer that question here are some examples Mr. Speaker of the diverse communities that we are reaching thanks to the seniors community grants indigenous elders and little current on Manitoul Island will be working with students to create a local story guide booklet opening communication and sharing histories across generations and communities in Kitchener Waterloo Aging with Pride is training LGBTQ seniors to help facilitate workshops to raise awareness of their special needs and concerns and in Ottawa Mr. Speaker the Ottawa Chinese Canadian Heritage Center is offering 10 monthly lectures to Chinese seniors teaching them how to manage everyday issues these are just three examples Mr. Speaker of the diversity of programs and I do want to say Mr. Speaker that this program has been so singularly successful that in two years we have increased funding four fold thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker to you and through you to the Minister of Energy families in Sarnia Lampton can't afford their hydro bills thousands of families in my community are in arrears residents have been bringing hydro bills to my office that are six seven eight hundred dollars per month local service agencies and nonprofits and service clubs are struggling to keep their doors open small business and local industry are powering down investment and expansion plans to reduce government's policies billions of dollars in investment and economic impact are at stake in Sarnia Lampton Minister your eight percent rebate is just a band-aid solution that won't stop the bleeding rates are still going up Minister when will you announce real relief for hydro rate increases for the families and businesses in Sarnia Lampton who struggle to pay or simply can't afford their energy good question Thank you Mr. Speaker I'm pleased in the great riding of Sarnia a few weeks ago Mr. Speaker working with Union Gas and learning about the Don Hub and I have to tell you Mr. Speaker it's a great community and there's lots of investment going on and there's lots of businesses growing in that sector so I know he should be very proud of that Mr. Speaker because the investments that we're making in terms of helping small businesses Mr. Speaker that eight percent reduction will actually help many small businesses and if they actually use more than a megawatt of power Mr. Speaker over a thousand more businesses right across the province will actually now be able to participate in the ICI program Mr. Speaker and the ICI program does want two things Mr. Speaker the first thing it does Mr. Speaker it helps lower rates for these businesses between 14 and 34 percent Mr. Speaker that's one third and also Mr. Speaker the ICI program actually reduces the amount of usage during our peak time which actually helps the entire system Mr. Speaker which keeps late lower for everyone Mr. Speaker thank you very much supplementary the members from Stormont Dundas and South Glungary thank you Mr. Speaker residents and businesses in Stormont Dundas and South Glungary are struggling to keep their heads above water because of unaffordable hydro bills mom and pop shops in small towns are being forced to close because they can't afford to keep their coolers on once that store owner the hydro bills are over $4300 a month he'll be forced to close 30 years in service residents are in dire financial straits and are facing disconnections due to sudden increases and they can't afford them especially on fixed incomes my question to the Premier is simple she knows what's causing this hardship across the province and today's announcement does nothing for my riding will she commit to stopping the construction of the four unaffordable wind and solar projects in Stormont Dundas and South Glungary thank you Minister thank you Mr. Speaker today's announcement is good news for consumers right across the province Mr. Speaker we've actually reduced $3.8 billion Mr. Speaker by actually suspending the LRP2 project that's an additional $2.45 a month Mr. Speaker on average for every family when you put that in conjunction with our three point plan Mr. Speaker in terms of making sure that there's an 8% reduction if you actually take that in consideration with the 20% reduction that rural and northern families are going to see Mr. Speaker and the ICI program with businesses and then if you put that on top of reducing the debt retirement charge Mr. Speaker and the six programs that we have we are doing the single largest reduction in electricity bills for families in this province's history Mr. Speaker on the other side Mr. Speaker all they did was leave our system in shambles and we had to rebuild it clean and reliable system and we're taking it to the next level to make it as affordable as it can be for everyone Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier yesterday I met with students at Brock University in St. Catherine's I met a young woman who is at work nearly every single hour that she's not studying in class she has worked all summer she's earning the minimum wage and she says that even with working all of the possible hours she can work her debt continues to grow she is stressed out and she's exhausted education should be an investment speaker not a burden the government shouldn't be making money off of her debt will the Premier agree today to take the interest off Ontario student loans Thank you very much Mr. Speaker well it's interesting to hear a question like this coming from the party that voted against helping more Ontario students to go to college University Mr. Speaker with free tuition the fact is Mr. Speaker I agree with the member opposite that college tuition and university tuition should be accessible Mr. Speaker should be accessible to everyone across the province which is why we don't want students to be incurring that kind of debt in the first place which is why the Ontario student grant which will be in effect next September September 2017 will mean that young students from low and middle low middle income families Mr. Speaker will have free tuition or better than free tuition Mr. Speaker and it's surprising to me that the leader of the third party wasn't supportive of that initiative Thank you I think we all know that Ontario can be a great place to live getting harder and harder to build a good life here especially for young people college or university should be a jumping off point for finding a good job finding a job you love and building a great life but graduating with a $30,000 loan plus interest makes it a lot harder to build that life this government should not be profiting from student debt this premier agree that it's time to take the interest off of Ontario student loans Mr. Speaker I asked the leader of the third party if she thinks it's a good idea that students not have those debts in the first place that they actually have access to grants Mr. Speaker that would mean that they wouldn't carry those loans so Mr. Speaker what we have done is we have made a change dramatic change in the way students, post secondary students in this province will work starting in September 2017 students from low and low middle income families Mr. Speaker will have access to free or greater than free tuition Mr. Speaker and students from higher income will continue to benefit from the 30% off tuition Mr. Speaker but the students at most risk the students that apparently the leader of the third party is most concerned about will have access to free tuition I think Mr. Speaker that that is something that the leader of the third party would support Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration there are many newcomers arriving to my riding of Scarborough Asian Code who are highly skilled and often possess a post secondary education I understand your ministry assists are highly skilled newcomers to access employment in the field including the previous training and education in Scarborough Asian Code a number of my constituents rely on programs to provide training and support in various professions Mr. Speaker through you to the Minister can she share with us what programs within her ministry have to assist highly skilled newcomers succeed in Ontario Thank you Mr. Speaker I would like to thank the dedicated MPP for Scarborough Asian Code which is a global question the member is correct Ontario's immigration strategy has helped our province attract highly skilled newcomers to drive our economy forward and be competitive in today's global markets each year over 6000 highly skilled immigrants access our bridge training projects and more than 100 occupations to help them find work in their designated professions some of these occupations include early child education the skilled trades and nursing and I know that the MPP for Scarborough Asian Code is a nurse through this program highly skilled newcomers are able to get licensed to support their families they contribute to Ontario's success Mr. Speaker I would like to thank the minister for her response it is reassuring to know that our government is committed to helping newcomers to succeed and I'm sure the minister would agree with me that the work of community agencies like the Chinese professional association of Canada better known as CPEC in my writing of Scarborough Asian Code is critical to the success of newcomers minister it is important that we continue to encourage highly skilled newcomers across Ontario to access these programs so that they can find meaningful work within their field of disciplines recently the minister announced a Seneca Newham Canvas funding for Ontario bridge training projects Speaker, through you to the minister can she inform the House how the government of Ontario is enhancing the support for various organizations across the province so that they can continue to help newcomers succeed in Ontario Thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member once again for her question our government has stayed true to our commitment to support highly skilled newcomers in Ontario in early August I announced an investment of 3.35 million over the next two years for 11 new projects by 9 organizations across Ontario I am proud to say that one of the recipients is the Ontario society of professional engineers they will be to $369,000 to help develop a communication and workplace culture course for international trained engineers Mr. Speaker we are committed to programs like bridge training because when newcomers succeed in Ontario, Ontario succeeds Thank you New question Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier Exorbitant electricity bills mean that many Ontarians have fallen into energy poverty Meanwhile the Liberals are giving their cronies plum jobs and paying them bloated salaries David Hurley is the man who co-chaired the premier's election campaign The premier has rewarded him with contracts in which he bills taxpayers an unbelievable $420 an hour How does the premier justify granting him millions of dollars worth of government contracts How does she justify paying her Liberal friends massive salaries when 567,000 Ontario families are in arrears on their hydro bills and 60,000 families have had their hydro cut off Thank you Mr. Speaker and I'm very pleased to rise and talk about the great work that we've done Mr. Speaker when it comes to building a safe and clean and reliable system Mr. Speaker is making sure that we've got a system that's in place that's affordable for as many as Ontarians as we can make it we're investing 8% a rebate that every family will see right across the province on their electricity bills and if you live in a rural or remote or northern community like where I come from many of those families will see a 20% reduction so we're making sure that we're finding ways to continue to reduce the rates today's announcement Mr. Speaker we're talking about making sure that our system stays clean and reliable and safe and that we're also suspending and cancelling the LRP2 Mr. Speaker which will continue to save families money right across this province Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker and back to the Premier evidence mounts each and every day that this government's priorities are not Ontarians priorities just like my colleagues from all parties in this house I hear from constituents every day about out of control costs Speaker mothers and fathers in tears who must decide whether they can feed their families or keep the lights on it's unacceptable Does the Premier really believe that ratepayers don't know when they're being bribed with their own money and will she finally stand Stop the clock I'm going to be cautious about this but that phrase is unacceptable I'm going to ask the member to withdraw withdraw Speaker Finish your questions please Thank you and will she finally stand in this legislature and admit that her government has failed Ontario family Mr. Speaker Making sure Ontario families get the single largest electricity bill remade in Ontario's history is something that we're very proud of Mr. Speaker and that's why we've taken action Mr. Speaker It is never too late to receive a warning I'm looking at two people in particular actually Thank you Mr. Speaker and so that's why we've taken action and introduced the Ontario rebate for Electricity Consumers Act a set of initiatives which add to many of our pre-existing programs for helping customers using their bills and we also know that we're particularly focusing on ensuring that vulnerable customers have the resources to avoid disconnection Mr. Speaker Through powers from the province the Ontario Energy Board has implemented enhanced consumer protection rules that all local distribution companies must follow including Mr. Speaker requiring a minimum 10 days advance notice of disconnection with accompanying resources to help customers and arrears Mr. Speaker We continue to do the right thing for families Mr. Speaker Thank you the member from the team Carlton on a point of order I just wanted to have my colleagues in the PC caucus a happy birthday to our colleague Jeff He's a little bit younger than the finance minister but it should be a great day for them Thank you Mr. Chairman you spoke on a point of order Mr. Speaker I'd like to correct my record In my question I had stated that Axiom Audio's Hydro Bill Electricity cost all in cost was over 39 cents a kilowatt hour and in fact some of the charges the actual cost is 44 cents per kilowatt hour The member from Prince for Prince Art Hastings on a point of order Thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to correct my record earlier in my question during question period I pointed out that the fundraising event for industry insiders with the minister of energy wasn't on the liberal website 45 minutes after I asked the question the event is actually publicized That is not a point of order and indeed I will remind somebody that it is never too late to be warned Never and for that matter name there are no deferred votes until 3pm this afternoon